Affiliations: [a] Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kunshan First People’s Hospital, Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Kunshan 215300, Jiangsu, China | [b] Cancer Institute of Chongqing, Chongqing 400030, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Guangxin Li, Cancer Institute of Chongqing, Chongqing 400030, China. Tel.: +86 13983039544; Fax: +86 023 65311341; E-mail: lgxin34147@126.com.
Note: [1] This authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract: Exosomes are lipid bilayer vesicles of endocytic origin ranging from 30 to 100 nm in size, and contain various nucleic acid molecules such as DNA, mRNA, miRNA, lncRNA and multiple proteins, which could be transferred into target cells. Recent study indicated that exosomes as information carriers between cells has introduced us to a new previously unknown biological communication system. Increasing evidences show that exosomes play a crucial role in gastric cancer because they are potential to influence normal cellular physiology and promote various states of the cancer. In this review, we focus on the latest findings on exosomes in the plasma of gastric cancer patients, mainly summarizing the functions of miRNAs, lncRNAs and multiple proteins in diagnosis, prognosis, and in establishing treatment regimens against gastric cancer. Furtherly, potential functions of exosomes as novel diagnostic biomarkers for gastric cancer are discussed extensively. Exosomes are believed to be a non-invasive disease biomarker with a dual capability to provide insights into the early diagnosis for gastric cancer.
